Little Girl
by Aviehenda
Summary: A young girl is lost. A stranger rescues her, but can he protect her from the dangers that lie ahead? Can she survive without him? Can she melt the heart of the one that hold hers?
1. Default Chapter

Ok, here's the thing guys. I'm kinda stuck on my other story so I started on a new one. Yeah, so shoot me ;)  Eh……anywaaays……I need some feedback on this new one you now.  Tell me if it's worth continuing and…stuff. I'm crossing my fingers here, hoping I'll have better luck this time.  Thank you in advance!

Disclaimer: You now the drill…….I can proudly say that I own myself……or so I think =)

Chapter one: In the beginning

A little girl could be seen running into the woods. She was scared. Fear consuming her whole being as she ran as fast as her little feet could carry her. The trees towered high above her letting little sunlight escape though the sealed roof of leaves. Not once did the little girl look back. She knew, knew that no one would follow her. Her surroundings seemed to grow thicker the further she came into the woods. Tripping on a root sticking up from the ground, she fell to the leaf covered floor with a thump.

Her head hurt badly and her stomach was turning. She was going to be sick. Her belly twisted and turned before she closed her eyes, lay back onto the ground and fell into a restless sleep filled with nightmares. She had seen so much a little girl should not have to. In a matter of minutes she had witnessed her family being dragged away from her, and she didn't understand why. They told her to run as fast as she could away from there. And she did.

Something was shaking the girl out of her sleep, a man. He was speaking with a gruff voice and kept pulling on her, telling her to get up. She sleepily staggered to her feet looking at him. He asked her questions, questions she did not answer. Her mother always told her not to speak with strangers. This was the only thought going through her mind. *Never talk to strangers, never talk to strangers.*

She just stared at him, and he grabbed her little hand motioning for her to follow. Her feet suddenly seemed to grow roots. With all her will and might she tried to get her hand back, but it was of no use. The little girl got carried away by this stranger. The wind started to blow fiercely, the leaves rattling wildly above their heads. Her long, brown hair danced all around her and she pulled her cloak closer to her tiny body.

That little girl was me…

It is a long time ago now. But it is by no means forgotten. The memories of that day have never ceased to haunt me. I often have nightmares about it. Nightmares about looking into my dear mothers frightened eyes when she's begging me to run for my life, and she knows she will never see me again. There's never a day when I don't think of her. Yes, it hurts. I have a new life now, with a new family and a new home. I've pushed it all away deep down in my heart where I'll keep it forever.

Now I am a woman, or so they say. Somewhere deep down I still feel like that little girl, all alone in the world and still very afraid. 

My father, Bran, was the one rescuing me that night from god knows what. He brought me to safety in his camp at the forest outskirts. A lucky star must have shone on me that night, for he had most accidentally spotted me running into the woods. It took him awhile to decide on running after me, but in the end he realized no one seemed to be looking for me. That's how I ended up in his camp with his fellow gypsies. 

It took him a long while to gain my trust, let alone getting me to speak, and it became his life mission to put a smile on my face. He eventually did. I found him deserving of my trust after some time and also began to speak, mostly about the horrible things I had seen and my mother and father. I would go around all the time, asking where they were. Every time it brought sadness to his eyes and he would just hug me tightly and whisper comforting things in my ear. I was too young to grasp the concept of probably never seeing my parents again. 

He did his best for me. He was always there, comforting, helping and caring. That's why I 'adopted' him as my father, rather than the other way around. I learned so much from him, everything from fighting to surviving alone in the wilderness, like hunting and hiding. Cooking and sowing I learned from the women. 

I guess I'm not the only one with a tragic past, and all in all I turned out quite ok, at least I think I did. I was now standing on my favorite spot in the whole world, looking toward the seemingly never-ending horizon. We used to come here every fall to make camp and stay for the winter. Every fall I would come to this spot and think about what the year had brought me, what I had achieved and learned. I called this place 'ranagud', simply meaning 'home'.

On this particularly night it was raining so I pulled my cloak closer. I was sitting on a log, staring at everything and nothing, in my own little dream world. Soon I could hear distant footsteps behind me. It had to be my father. I could always tell it was him on the way he always came tramping like an oliphant. I had to giggle a little at that thought. 

"Melian? Is that you?" Yes, it certainly was him.

"Yes, Father. It is me. Is something wrong?" I turned around to face him. He looked so old and tired. His face furrowed and always that worried look in his eyes. 

"No child. Nothing is wrong. I just wanted to talk with you, if you have some time to spare for your old man that is." He gave me a huge smile. 

I looked at him with serious eyes, measuring him up and down while resting my index finger on my chin. I let out some 'hmms' here and there, still not speaking to him.  

"I think I might be able to squeeze in some time for you." I broke into a smile. He just laughed at me. A joyful laugh it was and it warmed my heart every time I heard it. He seemed to possess some ability to make me forget everything that was sad and turn a bad day around. I could not have found a better father.

"What are you thinking about?" He sat down beside me on the log. We both sat in silence for awhile, looking at the now star filled sky. The rain had stopped and the clouds drifted away to make place for the moon. 

"Oh, just everything and nothing." I replied, shifting my weight on the log.

"You know…" He pointed to the sky. "I believe you to be a gift from the stars. My own little Melian. "His usually strong voice failed him as he kept gazing at the sky, his eyes glazing over. He probably thought he could hide his emotions from me. 

"What is it, father? Is there something you want to tell me?" We both knew I would not let him go before he told me what was going on, especially when he acted like this. 

He did not answer. I could tell he was carefully weighing his words. Something was definitely not right, not right at all. 

"Oh Melian, I have awful news, awful news indeed." He looked at me with those tired, weary eyes and I felt a sting in my heart. This was so not like him and it made me nervous. He always tried to hide bad things from me and he always failed miserably. 

I braced myself, hoping this was not as bad as it sounded.

I have already another chapter coming if you liked this one.  So just press the review button =)


	2. Dreaming

Thank you so much for reviewing my story guys! 

Disclaimer: Nothing lotr is mine. 

Chapter 2: Dreaming

My father sighed heavily before clearing his throat. "I have spoken with the elves." He paused, almost dramatically. Years of fairytale telling can do this to you. 

"They have told me that the orcs are growing stronger and bolder. Orcs have even attacked the Golden Woods. This is not good, so I am afraid we can't stay here any longer. It is just too dangerous, and I am not a man who wants to test his luck in this matter." His voice was sad but determined. I was in utter shock by his words.

"But father…." He interrupted me. 

"No, child, no buts." His demanding voice made me shrink under his gaze. 

"We are leaving as soon as possible. You better start packing immediately." He rose from the log and was about to make it back to the camp. 

"Wait!" My mouth opened before I could think about the words coming out.

"Why should we run? Why can't we fight them instead? I mean……we don't even know for sure that they are headed this way and……" Grasping for some reason not to leave I had now done it. My father stopped dead in his tracks, turned around, and I knew I was in for one of those father-daughter lectures. I cursed myself inwardly and prayed silently that this would not take long. 

"My dear, Melian, we are not talking about one orc attacking Lorien alone. That would not be bravery, only mere stupidity. They travel in packs of hundreds now and they don't stop to look at you twice before killing you. I have no intentions to risk our lives to do something so stupid. I am sorry Melian, I really am. I know you love this place very much and that you mean well, but there's nothing I can do……nothing I can do."

With that he left me to be alone with my thoughts under the bright star lit night sky. I, on the other hand, felt restless and anger roamed on the inside.

I loved this place! This was my favorite time of year and I liked to spend it in my favorite place. I felt the need to direct my anger at someone. *Stupid elves* God, now I was looking in all kind of irrational places for someone to blame. 

Feeling the urge to get all my fury out of the system, I picked up my bow leaning against the log. It didn't take long before I found the perfect place to shoot something. I cared not what it was. I notched an arrow, aimed at a tree ahead, and released it. *Stupid orcs* (Now I was getting somewhere.) This kind of thing always helped me relax and relieve me of unwelcome feelings roaming through my body.

After an hour or so, I got tired and plopped onto the ground with a sigh, feeling much better. I looked up to the stars and spotted one of the diamonds of the night sky fall down. Remembering the story from my childhood, I made a silent wish deep down in my heart. A wish I knew would never be granted. The anger and sadness washed over me again like waves rolling against the shore.

With a heavy heart I made my way back to the camp where I found everyone sound asleep. I lay down beside the fire and pulled a blanket around my body. It did not take long before I fell into a restless sleep filled with nightmares. 

~~~~ _Dream ~~~~_

I was standing in a dark forest, strange sounds coming from everywhere around me. Then silence. I was hardly breathing while tying to listen for something, something at all. That's when I heard it. It was but a whisper flowing with the wind that was now sweeping past me and brushing against my skin. I concentrated harder to make out the words. 

_Run little girl. Run……._

The voice became clearer and stronger. It was the voice of my mother! The words kept repeating themselves until the voice died out. 

Suddenly I heard a noise coming from behind, and I whipped around looking to see what it was. A huge shadow was closing in on me, fast. I turned back around, and I ran. I ran without looking back until I collapsed onto the ground. The last thing I could see was that dreadful shadow almost touching me. So I screamed, a high pitched scream, which could give anyone that sound of ringing bells in their ears.  

~~~~ _End of dream ~~~~_

I woke up by someone shaking me furiously. I slowly opened my eyes to see my dad in front of me with a worried look on his face. 

"What?" I exclaimed, a little annoyed.

"You were screaming in your sleep. So I thought it best to wake you from your dream." He replied, knowing all to well that these dreams of mine were not so unusual at all.

"Well, thanks father. But can I please get back to my sleep now?" I gave him a reassuring smile.

"Of course my little Melian, sleep well." He turned and walked away. I could hear him murmuring something, but it was out of my earshot. I lay awake for sometime, just thinking about my dream, before I fell asleep yet again.

All done. Hope you'll like this one as well. I don't know if her dream is of any significance, yet. Since she usually has dreams like that all the time, we'll see. 

Rana: Thank you so much! I'm glad you liked it =)

Nihtfyr: Well, no. Of course she's not Luthien's mother or a maia. And just so you know, Luthien's mother is the maia, Melian. About the ranagud part, ooops, a spelling mistake caught my eye. Shame on me. It's supposed to be 'ranugad' = Hamfast, Stay-at-Home. It's in Westron. So there you go. 

Luthien: Thanks! This is set before the Lord of the Rings. 

angel~wings: I'm glad you liked it. *keeps writing, and writing, and writing*

Evogirl81: Here you go =)


	3. Visitors

I am sorry I haven't updated for awhile, I've been sick. But I'm up and about again (thank god….I hate being sick!) so I can finally put this thing up =) Thanks for all the reviews! 

Disclaimer: I don't own anything of Tolkien's work. 

Chapter 3: Visitors

The next morning came and I was now packing my things. I did not own much. Only a couple of dresses and shoes a long with a pair of boots. A tunic was something I could forget about owning as a woman, although I had secretly been sowing one for myself. My father would be so ashamed if he knew.

All the sounds of people chatting happily and the sun shining on a clear blue sky, made this out to be a perfect day. Until **he** came along that is.

Some time after breakfast we could all se horses approach in the distance. They were coming from the west, probably Lothlórien elves. From our camp we could barely make out the great forest ruled by the Lady of the Golden Woods. Many rumors went around about that place and it intrigued me much.

I had always been fascinated by the elves. Their beauty, their knowledge and their immortality amongst other things, but to my dismay I had never had the opportunity to meet one, until now.

My father was standing on a hill with his right hand overshadowing his eyes, looking out at the horizon. I heard him sighing heavily and went up to see what was going on.

"Father, what troubles you so?! I asked, staring him straight in the eye.

He turned to look at the horizon again. He grunted, and then turned back to me.

"They are coming to warn us again." He replied.

*Why would they warn us again so soon?* Was the question racing in my mind before I voiced it. 

"Again? Why would they warn us again?" I paused to look at his face for answers. I found none. "Did they not warn us a few days ago? And did you not tell them that we would leave as soon as possible?" I continued. 

A look of guilt flashed over his features. He cleared his throat before speaking again. I just eyed him suspiciously.

"Well you see……" He started off.  "They did warn me awhile ago. It may be a couple of weeks ago." My father gave me a look of innocence.

"You know, Melian, I just wanted for you to be able to stay here for as long as we could. I hate to see you upset and……." He trailed off, worry in his eyes.

"I just hope that I haven't put any of us in some kind of danger." I lay a comforting hand on his shoulder. I was getting a little worried myself. I did want to see the elves, just not angry ones.

"I do not think we are in any kind of danger father. And if we are, I think the elves coming our way can help us." I gave him a reassuring smile. I could not be angry with him even if he had kept this from me. His intentions had been good.

He returned my smile, turned around and headed back to our camp. I stayed behind looking at the fast approaching elves. I could hear my father walking down the hill and felt a slight sting of pity. He had so much to think about right now, like how organize us all so we could begin our journey away before nightfall. The elves would probably not be so happy about him either.

While I stood there, watching, my mind wandered and got lost between reality and fantasy. The elves graceful movements, the warm wind slowly caressing my skin, the soothing scent of wildflowers. All my senses stimulates to my very satisfaction, caused me to drift away into my own little daydream.

I must have been standing there for awhile; feeling the freedom of imagination, because hoof beats was now drumming in my ears. I opened my eyes slowly and turned around. At first I could not see anything due to the bright light painfully hitting my eyes. Once I gained focus I gasped in awe. There before me stood the most magnificent white horse I had ever laid my eyes on. I could certainly not complain about the owner either…….

My father was calling my name and he pulled me back to ground level. I carefully made my way down to the gathering crowd below me. Elves were everywhere and I was in a great hurry to get a good look at them up-close, especially since I had been dreaming of this day my whole life.

A/N: Ok. I'm sorry this is very short, but I have been sick so I haven't had the strength to write much and I really wanted to update. I am so sorry yet again! I'll get back to my writing then. Hope you enjoy! Buh bye.


	4. Staring at people is rude

Disclaimer: I do not own Middle Earth or the people living there. I do not own Melian the Istari and mother of Lúthien, even if my main character and her share names. But Melian in this story, with all her flaws and defects, I would say belongs to me. 

Chapter 4: Staring at people is rude 

The elves had eventually reached our camping grounds and were surrounded by people in the blink of an eye. I almost had to elbow my way through to reach my father in the middle of all this chaos. Everybody wanted a part of the action and by now I was slightly annoyed.

"Father?" I poked him in the back like a little child craving for attention. He jumped up a bit before turning around.

"Oh, it's you Melian. Let me introduce you." He motioned to the tall, blond elf sitting on that beautiful white horse. 

My eyes slid slowly up from the ground and followed the horse's perfect lines until they met with the elf's deep grey ones. I could not break eye contact. I could not breathe, move nor blink as I stood there gazing into what seemed like centuries of knowledge and experience. 

Bran realized in the end that his daughter was acting very un-lady like so he stomped on my foot. A yelp escaped my lips as I glared at him with an uttermost sore face. I could not believe that he had just stomped on my foot like that. What had I done wrong? To top off my childish behavior I stuck my tongue out at him. I was digging my own grave……..       

The tall elf coughed annoyingly to get our attention back as we, me and my father, was holding a glaring contest. Both our heads snapped up with similar confused faces. I had a growing feeling this elf was considered very respectable, and he knew it well. 

"Let me try this again." He gave me a stern look. 

"My name is Haldir o Lórien, March warden and one of the Galadrim." Silence passed for but a moment. "And aren't you are a rude little child?" That was certainly **not** a question. My sharp intake of breath at this obnoxious comment nearly made me choke. It tis true what they say, that one look can tell more that a thousand words. And I think it was pretty clear to him what I was trying to say right then. 

My mouth opened repeatedly to speak, but no words came out at all. I blinked a couple of times to be sure that this was happening and not just another dream of mine. 

I could feel stinging behind my eyelids as realization dawned upon me. My first meeting with an elf, one childhood dream come true, ruined by my bad staring habit. I wanted to curse myself in every language I knew but bit my tongue and took a deep breath of fresh air. 

An inner battle took place. On one side I knew I had to apologize for my un-lady like behavior, even if it killed me, but on the other hand he could shove Earendil up his behind for all I cared. No one called me a rude little child and got away with it. Eventually I tried to calm down by telling myself that this was no time to be acting like a child. That would only prove him right and I could not by any means let **that** happen. 

Every pair of eyes was now on us. The tension was growing thicker by the minute and could soon be cut with even the bluntest knife of all. I nervously straightened myself up, holding my head up high before gaining my ability to speak.

"I am deeply sorry, Milord, for my absolutely rude and insolent behavior from earlier." I managed to find my 'respectful and adult' voice. "I should never have stared at you in such a way and I cannot find words to describe how I feel about myself because of it." I bowed my head down to show him my submission.

"Please forgive me, Milord." My last words sounded like a plea.

He swiftly jumped down from the horseback, making his way over to stand in front of me. Carefully he put his slim hand under my cheek and lifted it up so he could look me straight in the eye. I shuddered slightly.

"You have my forgiveness, Milady." Was all he said as he bowed down and kissed my hand lightly. 

And so it was that my dear, by now confused, father and this Haldir person walked away leaving me with a surely priceless look on my face. In my opinion this Haldir had to be somewhat unstable and had serious mood-swings that could match traveling with a cart on a **very** bumpy road. 

The fresh breeze, which played amongst the many green leaves, swiped my hair as I climbed up to my favorite spot yet again. Some birds circling high on the blue sky foretold of better, sunny days ahead. At least that was what my father always told me to be a sure sign. I seated myself on the old, worn-out log and sleepily gazed at my surroundings. Wild flowers in every color spread down the hillside as far as my eyes could see, and the grass was lush. Especially beside the little brook that wound its way through the rough undergrowth all the way down the hill.

Everything was quiet, too quiet. Even the little stream seemed to slow down notably. The silence that fell over me was not a comfortable silence, more like a warning, such as when you say that there's something in the air. This was exactly like that. Silence before the storm.

I rose from the log in one quick move, placed my hand over my eyes and pinched them together. My favorite spot was also the best lookout, this close to our camp, so I gazed over the horizon with my eyes in total concentration. There was nothing to the south and nothing worth seeing to the west either. I turned eastwards, something was moving with great speed. My eyes narrowed as I focused on the moving mass ahead. Could it be orcs? *No.* My mind concluded as the grey shadows came closer.* It's something bigger……*

Time stood still for but a moment, but to me it felt like an eternity. Then I realized, like the answer had been obvious all along, "Wargs!" I could feel my heart starting to race and I froze to the ground. Desperately I tried to move my legs but they just wouldn't listen. Fear grasped me like a big stone placed on my chest and I could barely breathe, as I looked upon the monsters with our camp as their target. With one last attempt I forced my legs to run down the path so I could warn the others. I took a deep breath, filling my lungs up, and screamed for all it was worth, "Wargs are coming, Wargs to the east!" 

With those words I sank to my knees on the dust filled ground. People were now running in panic all around me but suddenly they all stopped. I lifted my gaze to see my father and Haldir come out of the big tent, worry evident in my father's eyes. Only one thought lingered in my mind, *What is going to happen to us now?*

Lady Death Cat: Thanks for reviewing my story. I'm happy you liked it. Very nice song btw. =)

Rana7: Thanks! If she runs away or get lost? You'll just have to wait and see =)

Panny Savage: Wow! I'm on you favorite list? *jumps around and dances the 'happy Aviehenda dance'* Thank you! =) Hope you enjoy this too then!

Coolio02: Thanks for reviewing! Hope you like this new chapter then! =)

I know I know…I like those smiley's awfully much. But anyways……..I'll have to get back to my writing as always. I just hope that you all still enjoy my story! If you have some tips then please bring them on. Thank you guys!


	5. Chaos and Death

Disclaimer: I do not own Lord of the Rings or anything in this fic that belongs to Tolkien. 

Little Girl 5: Chaos and death

My eyes glazed over as I stared blankly into nothingness. I didn't pay any heed to the things that went on around me as hopelessness crept slowly into the center of my heart. My father ran over to me and snapped his fingers in front of my eyes. When he did not get any reaction he placed his strong hands on my shoulders and started to shake me fiercely.  

"Melian?" He stared into my eyes looking for some reaction but I kept staring blankly ahead.

"Melian?" He tried again. "For Eru's sake answer me child!" The hint of anger in his voice brought me back to reality.

I looked around me in confusion. All the people running around, desperation and panic evident in their eyes, made my heart ache even more. This could not be happening to us. Not now when everything was going so great. I gazed over at my father.

"What is happening?" In truth I did know the answer to that dreadful question, but my heart could not admit it at the moment.

"You tell me. You were the one to shout 'wargs'!" My father's harsh words felt like daggers being thrust through my soul and I could not help but shudder. I was about to retort but my words faded away as a familiar voice rang throughout the air. 

"She is right you know." It was Haldir. I spun around and spotted him running down from the hill. He flew like the wind over the red sand in the pathway, and in a matter of seconds he stood tall next to my father.

"I saw it with my own two eyes." He gave my father a serious look and father nodded understandingly.

I knew fully well about the elves perfect vision, and in this very moment it dawned on me that my eyes had not betrayed me. *We're never going to survive an attack of wargs!* A lump was building in the pit of my stomach and it felt like I was going to be sick, an all too familiar feeling. Pictures of the day I lost my parents ran rapidly through my mind causing a bad headache. When I also saw my new father, Bran, mutilated by wargs, the headache got worse.

I drifted away yet again as my head pounded like wild horses were running inside. Everything went from clear to getting covered in a light grey mist, and all the noises around me sounded so far away. All I could hear was Haldir shouting commands at my father and my father shouting to the others. 

"Get everyone able to fight into the weaponry! Get everyone a sword and armor! All those who cannot fight need to hide somewhere safe!" Some other words that are not worth mentioning also came out here and there. Mostly on my fathers part that is. 

Out of nowhere someone ran head first into me and knocked me over. As I lay sprawling on the ground somebody reached down a hand to me. I took it gratefully and pulled myself to my feet. Except from my hurt bottom I got away from the whole ordeal with a slight shock. My eyes found their up to my very own knight in shining armor with his stunning white horse, literally. 

"Oh, thank you so much, Haldir." He gave me a small smile, if you can call it that, and bowed gracefully as always. 

"Always a pleasure to help," He replied. I thought I detected something in his voice, and as he walked pass me, horse in tow, I pondered over the strange tone of voice he used when he spoke to me. But in all this chaos around me it was impossible to think at all so I gave up.

Soon everyone was in their rightful places. The men were ready to fight, and the others, including me, had found a hiding place. I hid together with four girls, all younger than me, in a tree house far above the ground. The time dragged on and a single minute felt like an eternity. Nervousness nagged inside me because of the responsibility I felt I had for the four girls.

Their cute little faces showed nothing but horror and each of them looked to me with wide eyes. I knew I had to calm them down somehow, but how do one calm kids that are scared to death? I thanked Eru when I remembered a song my father used to sing for me as a small child. So I sat there, high up in the tree house, whispering a song of lands long forgotten.

We were all singing songs in turn when loud battle cries sounded in the air. I curled up with the girls beside me as I peeked out from a crack in the wall. I felt chills run down my spine when I saw the fight going on just a few yards away. Swords clashing, people falling lifeless to the ground, my people……A tear trickled down my right cheek but I quickly brushed it away. I had to stay strong for the girls even if I would rather break down and cry till no more tears could be shed. 

"Miss?" One of the girls pulled at my skirt. I did not notice as the action outside had all my attention.

"Miss!" She heightened her tiny voice this time to make me listen. I turned around, a little annoyance shining through.

"What?" My voice sounded sharp and snappy. I regretted it at once.

"I am sorry, what?" I tried to cover my previous outburst as best I could. She furiously pointed downwards so I crawled over the floor to where the hatch was. A scream almost slipped past my lips but I held it in and gritted my teeth. We were so out of luck.

I really hope you can forgive me for being late with my update. 

I do not have access to the computer at all times anymore because the 'computer room', as we like to call it, has a new occupant. My boyfriend's sister's going to be here for….I don't know….but anyways…..

I had all this written down but I was not happy with it…therefore it took me some time to write it down on the pc. Hope you will continue to read as I will continue to write.


	6. Sorrow

Disclaimer: We've been through this before. I do not own Lord of the Rings. (Tolkien, on the other hand, do)  

Chapter 6: Sorrow

The tension inside the tree house could almost be touched. I looked around me and noticed all four girls pressed up in one of the corners with similar terrified faces. We were all holding our breath and no one dared to speak a word. With my heart in my throat, pounding like crazy, I took another look down the hatch. The huge beast under me made loud growling noises as it sniffed around the tree we were in. I had no idea what to do, so I only closed my eyes and did what I do best. I wished with all my heart that it would suddenly loose interest in our tree and walk away, still no luck.

I was a hunter, not a warrior. Of course I was skilled with a sword and bow, but I was also able to use a needle and thread. That did not make me a professional seamstress. In this situation I was totally helpless. In a final attempt to comfort the children I crawled over to them and put my arms around them. We could still hear the beast sniffing around.

When I spotted something out of the corner of my eye, I jumped protectively in front of the scared girls. A pair of penetrating yellow eyes stared at me from the hole in the floor. It was the warg that finally had found its way up to us, finally on the beast's part, not ours. The girls and I shrieked in unison at the horrible sight. The high pitched tone made the beast flash its teeth and snort angrily. 

I could feel my body backing up towards the girls, but I personally had nothing to do with it. What my body did at the moment was controlled by the fear and the fear alone. My mind and eyes were frozen, I could not think or look at something else than that very large beast that eyed me hungrily. My hope was gone like the last breath of a dying man.

In the blink of an eye the beast's eyes widened considerably as a growl of pain filled the tree house. The animal went limb and fell to the ground in a lifeless heap. I still did not move an inch, not until someone came up through the hatch. I thanked Eru when I saw who it was. Haldir had come to the rescue once more. He stood before us with his typical imposing presence, but sadness was shining through his elven eyes. I wanted to cry with happiness but I couldn't. Something was not as it should be, and he didn't make an effort to hide it.

A hand touched my shoulder and I composed myself. I looked Haldir in the eyes, bracing myself. He did not meet my gaze but kept looking with newfound interest at the floor. The question that lingered in my mind could not go by unspoken, even if it killed me.

"Where is my father?" I asked with a trembling voice, not trying to cover up my nervousness. It wouldn't have worked anyway. 

Haldir stole a glance at me before speaking. His voice was softer than silk and flowing like the quiet summer breeze. 

"I am really sorry, Arwen en amin…..but" (My lady - Non familiar) Haldir tried to finish but I cut him off. My whole world was beginning to dissolve piece by piece.

"NO!" My lungs burned from my scream. This was not happening to me. Not again. This was just a bad dream and I was going to wake up any minute. I pushed his arm off me and headed for the hatch. I had to see this for myself.

When I had put my feet safely back on the ground, I began to dart my eyes in every direction. I found the bodies lying, side by side, in the open area in the middle of the camp. The feeling I had was indescribable. It was with heavy steps and bowed head that I made my way over to the bodies. The people around me shot discreet glances my way while whispering amongst themselves. I tried desperately to swallow the growing lump stuck in my throat when I neared the corpses.

I stopped walking when I was a meter or two away from them. All the bodies were covered up, except one. My beloved father…..I could no longer stand up straight, and I sunk down on my knees in the dirt. I put my shivering, cold hands over my face when the tears could no longer be restrained. All I wanted to do was scream at him. I wanted to tell him how much I hated him for leaving me. I slowly inched closer to my dead father and new well of tears came running down my cheeks like waterfalls. 

The moment I could see my fathers face clearly, all the anger was replaced by the sorrow of my broken heart. I grabbed a hold of his hand and started to rock myself back and forth. I just sat there for several minutes, not noticing the group of people gathering around me.  

"Melian? Look at me Melian." Haldir's voice seemed like an echo from far away and I didn't even blink.

"I am deeply sorry Melian, but we cannot linger here for long, not if we want to be on the safe side. I promised your father I would look after you." He grabbed me and pulled me up, while I was holding on to my fathers hand for dear life.

Suddenly I felt sparks being ignited within me and I felt the strong urge to slap him. I had just lost my father and now I did not even get to bury him? Without a second thought I took off running. My eyes were so filled with tears that I could barely see ahead. I kept running until I reached the horses' paddock. In a rush I found a bridle, got a hold of my horse and threw the bridle on him. We hurried out the gate, setting our course west. 

Morion, my beautiful black horse, carried me over the hill and down to the open field. Haldir's shouts slowly faded with the distance laid between us. He could do whatever he wanted, I did not care. When I turned around one last time I could spot him on top of the lookout point, trying to signal for me to turn back. I had no intentions to do so.

I can not remember how far into the woods I had gotten, but all of the sudden hoof beats drummed in my ears. I knew not from where or who, only that it was not coming from Morion. So I pulled him to a full stop and listened intently. Something told me that Haldir did not give up easily. 

"Who's there?" I did not get a respond to my question, but a sound from behind told me that this 'someone' following me had just entered the clearing I was in. Looking over my shoulder I could barely make him out in the dim light. I hated to be right.

"Why are you running away?" His tone of voice told me he wasn't too pleased at my sudden runaway. In a strange way I knew I deserved this, but I could not keep my mouth shut when it really counted.

"Oh, liker it matter to you what I do with my life!" I tried to sound angry but my voice was shaking. I began to stroke Morion on the neck to calm myself as Haldir shifted uncomfortable on his white stallion.

"I do care! I promised your father that I would take care of you, not let you run off and get yourself hurt. We need to find somewhere safe for you to stay." There it was again! Than strange tone in his generally steady, calm voice. *Doesn't he feel comfortable around me?* The thought of me, a mere human girl, making the March Warden of Lorien……uncomfortable? It almost made me snicker with delight, if it hadn't been for the seriousness of course.  

"Are you alright?"  It was a question I just had to ask for my own pleasure. Haldir seemed to squirm a little. 

"Yes, of course I am. But do not change the subject, Melian. You are coming back to the camp with me. That is an order." Haldir's answer was strained and he did not look at me.  

In one swift movement I turned Morion around. I was going back with him, willingly. Why? you probably ask.  I am not entirely sure about that myself, probably because I did not want to argue with Haldir at that particular moment, and I had a lot of other things on my mind. I could discuss with Haldir in the morning after a good nights sleep anyway. 

"Are you coming or what?" Haldir did not respond. I could only hear some mumbling I could not make out, so I just brushed it away. I had bee riding for hours already and was dying to get some sleep. Haldir's elven 'I only need five minutes of sleep each day' ability made me curse under my breath. Well, at least I was safe if I decided to nod off on the trip home. 

There…..chapter six is finally finished. Hope you guys like it. If you have some tips I would be happy to hear them =) I would also like to thank my reviewers! You guys are great! I'm not entirely sure where this is going right now so you are welcome to give me some ideas. I guess I'll just keep writing then. Bye!

Naomie: Thanx! Hope you like this chapter too then =)

Evogirl81: Thank you for reviewing my story! Always nice to get some feedback…. As to Haldir's voice, I'll guess we'll find out =) I'll try to get my chapters longer but it's not always so easy….eh…..*smiles innocently*

Cooloio02: Cliffie? Where? =)

Panny Savage: Yeah, their first meeting was not so good. But hey! We want to create some tension, right? Tension is good….or something =)


	7. Authors Note

A/N:

I'm sorry I haven't updated yet. A little writer's block has been hanging over my head like a black cloud lately. On top of all this I got sick again, with inflammation in my throat this time (I think that's how you write it). So I hope you can forgive me! I have almost finished the next chapter and I'm going to post it real soon! Maybe tomorrow or Wednesday…Hope you're still with me then. C u soon!

~~~~ Aviehenda ~~~~


	8. Lighter mood

Disclaimer: I do not own Haldir or anything else that you recognize from lotr.

Chapter 7: Lighter mood

After hours of riding through miles of open fields, small woods and over flowing rivers, I felt exhausted. To my delight Haldir decided that we should find shelter for the night in the middle of some old trees overhanging a small poll of water. Even though the trip back 'home' was not too long, but it would take at least a couple of hours. I was tired and so was Morion. My horse was worn out from our wild runaway from earlier and I don't blame him. I felt a sting of guilt because I had been pushing him too hard throughout the day. There was nothing wrong with Morion's stamina, but everyone has their limits.

While I was taking care of the horses, Haldir went out to find some dry wood so we could make a fire. He was gone for awhile so I sat down against one of the trees and closed my eyes, almost falling asleep when he came back with some branches in his arms. The sky had darkened considerably because of the grey clouds that had covered up the starlit sky. Some streams of moonlight crept through the thick blanket and hit Haldir's face as he entered the camp area. My eyes rested on his strong chin before they moved up to his perfect grey eyes.

*Oh no, no, no, no, NO! Get yourself together, Melian. You did not just think about him in that way. You just….. no.* I was having an argument with myself, how nice.

"How come you cannot seem to stop staring at me? Is there something wrong with my face?" Haldir's voice snapped me out of my current train of thoughts. This was getting embarrassing.

"Eh……" I couldn't seem to find the right words and I stopped myself from speaking before thinking it through. But of course I had a problem anyway, since my mouth never really had been connected to my brain properly. It was inevitable that I would further embarrass myself. 

"I'm very sorry! I'm a little tired and…..and I was not really staring at you…..or maybe I was…..I….." I stopped my rambling when I realized how stupid I sounded, and I bowed my head in shame. If only one could disappear under these circumstances.

A soft laugh sounded in my human ears and I looked up at him with an ice cold glare. I felt totally humiliated and had the urge to tell him to go play in the Deadmarshes. 

"Ha, ha, ha, very funny, Haldir." My voice dripped with sarcasm.

"Oh, but I think it was. You should have seen your face when I caught you off guard." Haldir kneeled down to make us a fire for the cold night, still snickering to himself. Haldir had humor, great.

The next day, after some well deserved sleep, I was still curled up and fast asleep. Somewhere in my wonderful dreamland a voice called my name. Since I was having the dream of my life, the voice started to get very annoying and decided to make it go away. 

"Go away, father! I don't want to get up yet." I never opened my eyes, but instead I managed to get a hold of a cone, and threw it at the source of the noise. A loud yelp sounded in the air as Haldir began to rub his sore forehead. 

This time he started to shake me violently until I woke up. I was not in a happy mood and neither was he. We saddled our horses and rode off in complete silence. 

Hours went by without as much as a quick glance at each other. The silence was pressuring. I knew me and Haldir hadn't exactly gotten off on the right foot, but there was something about him that made me want to know him better. Every time I tried to talk to him, though, it seemed that I only made it worse between us. Maybe it was the fact that he was an elf that intrigued me, or maybe it was the person Haldir. He seemed so strong, so proud and yet so vulnerable. I let my thoughts run freely as we trudged through the dry, yellow grass in one of the many fields we had to lie behind. 

It took some time before I worked up the nerve to speak up. We hadn't exchanged a word since we left and I couldn't take it anymore. I decided it was time fore one of us to swallow the pride and say something. I was the one that threw the cone anyway…..

"I am sorry, Haldir." I could barely get the words out. Haldir's stern look did not help in any way. 

"Sorry for what, milady?" He cocked his head, awaiting my reply. 

"Because of the cone I threw at you. I did not think that I would actually hit something, not in my sleep anyway." The thought of the cone hitting Haldir in the head made me smirk, and I desperately tried to hide it by covering my mouth with my hand. It was of no use since Haldir had already seen my big smile.

"So you think it was funny, do you?" His serious expression only made me smile more and I ended up bursting out in laughter.

"Yes, actually I do think it funny." I managed squeeze out the words between the giggles. "I also think that we are even now. You got a good laugh yesterday and I got a good laugh now." My laughter slowly died down only to burst out again when I saw Haldir putting on a fake sore face. A thought struck me. Maybe we could get along after all?

Haldir smirked at me and I swear I saw a twinkle in his eye. 

"Maybe we're even, Melian, maybe." He turned around and we continued our journey in silence once more. 

Well, I know it's a little bit short I guess, but it's not easy to write with a writer's block you know. I hope you're all still with me and that you don't hate me too much =) I've been sick too and when I finally thought I was getting better, I caught a bad cold just to top the iceberg. So I'll get back to my writing and to my new best friend; the toilet paper……Thanks for all the reviews!!!!!! You guys are the best! =)

Silverdracowolf: Thank you! I hope that writer's block will go away too!

Naomie: Hi there! Thank you for the support! It's not easy to write when you have writer's block and you're sick. I don't think so anyway. Almost everyone where I live is sick because of some influenza virus going around. I only hope it will stop torturing me and go away.

Coolio02: Melian means 'Dear gift' and its Sindarin. There you go. I'll try to update sooner this time =)

Freaky-girl04: Well, thank you for reviewing my story! Hope you will continue to read despite of the delay! 


	9. Closer to you

Dedicated to my very best friend in the whole world! (You know who you are D) Thank you for inspiring me to continue this story!

Disclaimer: I do not even remotely own anything LotR. (Oh, you know what I mean)

**Little Girl 8**: Closer to you

I tilted my head heavenwards and took a deep breath. The cold air filling my lungs, making me feel alive. If I concentrated hard enough, I could almost see the 'lookout point' in the distance. My spirits were sinking by the minute as the thought of my duties caught up with me. My father's burial. A certain look in Haldir's eyes, when he glanced back at me, showed he could tell what was on my mind.

"The loss of a dear one can rip once heart out." I had not expected him to say anything. I honestly felt a little shocked. His words kept echoing through my mind. So true, it certainly felt like a piece of my heart was gone and nothing in the world could replace it. It seemed he knew the feeling himself.

"Have you lost someone then? Because when you spoke you got this look in your eyes like you know the feeling." I think my voice quivered a little more than I would've liked. Haldir had struck me as very personal, maybe even a little secretive, and that certain things were not to be spoken of with others. I wondered if I had made him uncomfortable by asking such a question.

He glanced away for a moment, looking thoughtful, and perhaps a bit sad. A cold wind from the east was picking up, sweeping over the long grass around us. I pulled my cloak closer to my body, and waited.

"Yes." He spoke it softly as he looked directly into my eyes. I cringed slightly under this stoic elf's scrutinizing stare.

At the same time I was a little shocked by actually getting Haldir, the immensely proud and stuck up Marchwarden, to answer such an intimate question, that all I could do was look back at him. He must have taken my speechlessness to mean that I expected him to say more, so he continued his answer. I almost fell off my horse in utter shock.

"Well, not really lost them in the sense of them going to the Halls of Mandos." He paused briefly, sucking in a deep breath. It was obviously a sore subject.

"But they did leave for The Undying Lands. I was fairly young at the time, but as the oldest of three brothers, I was the one left with the responsibility to take care of us. It was not an easy task, but what bothers me the most to this day is that I can't remember my mothers face." He finished off, and an uncomfortable silence filled the air around us. Maybe I shouldn't have asked.

A strange feeling hit me as moments flew on by. I realized what had happened just minutes ago. Me, Melian, a simple gypsy girl, had managed to get an elf, which took pride in maintaining his appearance more that anything, to open up. It wasn't much, I realized that, but for someone where showing your feelings in the open was almost a sign of weakness, this was like getting a peak inside a forbidden and inner sanctuary. It was almost too much to wrap my head around. Questions started to form in my mind. Questions I desperately wanted to ask but was not sure I should. I could feel words forming at the back of my throat as the silence were once again becoming too unnerving for me to handle. My tongue could not be silenced.

"So, you really miss them, huh?" My breath caught in my throat almost immediately. _'What was that?' _I asked myself, incredulous over my own words. That was certainly **not** one of the questions that had been whirling around in my head with numerous others. At that moment I mentally berated myself as I wanted nothing more than to disappear from the face of Middle Earth. Knowing that it probably wasn't going to do me much good, I also slipped in a prayer that he hadn't heard my question, just for good measures. _'Right, of course his elvish hearing will fail every time you ask a stupid question:'_ I commented sarcastically to myself.

I glanced up at the horizon, and I realized that my lucky star must have been shining exceptionally bright that day, because before he could answer, we had reached the camp. Apparently, as soon as we had come into view, everyone had started to make their way over to us. I and Haldir quickly found ourselves in the middle of a large circle of both human and elves.

My eyes scanned the crowd of people around me, desperately searching for the right words. Despair seemed to linger in the very air I was taking my deep breaths from. Hundreds of words formed in my mind, comforting words, and words of wisdom. I tried to form them with my mouth, but they fell silent as I could not make myself speak them aloud. I prayed the Valar to give me the strength I needed to comfort my people.

'_My people.'_ the thought made me snap back to reality.

I looked around again. The people that had taken me into their warmth with open hearts now looked to me for help in this time of sorrow. I had to pull myself together. I had to be strong for them. Tears started to form in my eyes as I noticed a little girl gazing at me with tear stained cheeks, and eyes so sad it seemed the weight of the world was on her shoulders. I knew this girl. I knew her parents. Suddenly it felt like someone had sent a flying kick right to my guts. Memories of her parents lying amongst the slain passed in my minds eye. It sent me straight back to a place that nowadays only existed in my nightmares.

I didn't even notice that my tears had started to flow freely, because my mind was somewhere far away from present day. For what seemed like the millionth time, I was back in that forest, running, always running. But then something completely unexpected happened, something that had never happened before. I saw my mother. I just knew it was her, like an inner primeval instinct. She appeared to me clear as day, and she was so beautiful. Her slightly curly brown hair flew around her, her blue eyes sparkled with comforting serenity, and a small smile played along her lips. I longed to be near her, to be able to wrap my arms around her and cry my pain away, but whenever I moved closer she got further and further away.

A strong hand clasped my right shoulder and immediately pulled me out of my 'daydream'. I was almost surprised when I finally noticed my own sobbing. My breaths were short and ragged, until my throat felt so tight that I couldn't breathe at all. I quickly dismounted my horse and started to make way through the crowd, all the while gasping for air and people giving me concerned and curious looks. Tears clouded my sight as my feet carried me aimlessly away. I just had to get away so I could sort myself out, because as of right now I had no control whatsoever. She had been so vivid, so real. _'Too real' _I concluded.

Sliding down against a tree some distance away, I rubbed my eyes to see better, and deemed myself far away enough to be out of earshot. Well, if I didn't count the elves of course, but I really didn't care if they heard me as long as my people didn't get to hear or se the theatrical drama of 'girl has mental breakdown'. I let a half-hearted laugh slip in spite of myself. That only seemed to get the ball rolling and soon after I was wailing like a little child once more.

Being so caught up in my own emotional breakdown, I didn't notice I had been followed. So when a large shadow stood before me, I let out a stifled shriek, but it quickly died down when I saw who it was.


	10. Breaking walls

Hey guys! I just have to ask…does anyone actually read this story anymore? Except Liyana that is. (Thanks for the review Liyana!) Anyroad…it would be truly appreciated if you drop a review my way if you do in fact read this story! I need to feel the love, learn from constructive criticism or just roast in flames. Pick a choice! D (ok…ok…please don't roast me in flames! smiles sweetly)

Disclaimer: I do not own anything that you recognize in this story. Crosses fingers while chanting 'don't recognize Haldir, don't recognize Haldir'. Ehm…well…on with the story!

**Little Girl 9: **Breaking walls

"Haldir, what are you doing here?" My voice was filled with surprise.

"I-I…" he cleared his throat. "…thought that you…" He trailed off, obviously uncomfortable. This was starting to happen a lot when I was around I noted. I decided not to press the matter out of sympathy for the Marchwarden.

Instead of speaking, Haldir just gracefully slid down next to me, the usual silence settling over us. Only this time it was in fact welcomed, from my point of view anyway. I had no desire to pour my heart out to him at all. Not only because he was still somewhat of a stranger to me, but also because it wasn't in my nature. I was a 'bottle it up' person, and it had driven my father to the brink of insanity many a time. I let a sad smile grace my lips as a memory played in my mind.

"_Melian, sweetheart, please talk to me!" My fathers desperate plead had been met with silence._

"_It's not good for you to keep your feelings inside like this, Melian. And you know you can talk to me, right?" He had almost gotten to me, but I had been too stubborn to admit he was right. _

_He had then grabbed my face with both hands and wiped away my tears with his thumbs, only causing them to flow more freely. I had so wanted to tell him, but it was like I had a wall inside that had stopped the words from being said. _

As the memory faded, I subconsciously placed a hand on my cheek where my fathers hand had been so long ago, where it would never be again. That got me on a roll of new fresh tears, and poor Haldir seemed completely perplexed, not knowing how to act in this situation.

"Is everything alright, Milady?" Haldir had once again managed to pull himself together, concealing any form of emotion. It surprisingly infuriated me and I sprang to my feet in one swift motion. I was now pointing my finger at him, which, by the way, never led to anything good. Trust me on this…

"Don't you 'Milady' me you…you arrogant, stuck up, egoistical elf with the 'I'm better than you' attitude!" I only stopped to gasp for more air.

"How dare…" He tried to reply but I cut him off rather sharply.

"Are you blind? Do I look alright to you! **Do I? **Because if I do then let me enlighten you, I am **not** alright! I have just lost the only person I had left in this world and I am now completely alone. And why do I even bother to tell you this…like you would actually care." All I could do was stare blankly in front of me. What had just happened? What had possessed me to say those things to him? He hadn't done anything wrong, nothing at all. For a split second I felt ashamed of myself, until he rose and stood before me, only inches separating us.

"Just…get away from me." I spoke through gritted teeth, making to push him away.

Strong hands caught my wrists in a firm grip and I struggled to get them free. Haldir awkwardly pulled me closer to him and released his hold on my arms, putting his own around me. My hands formed into tight fists and I started to pound away on his chest, begging him to let go of me, to no avail as he just held me closer and let me hit him.

When I found my hitting was all in vain, I grabbed a hold of his tunic and buried my face in his shoulder, letting my trail of tears penetrate the rough fabric.

"_Nin last," _His voice was so soothing a sigh escaped me.

"_Avo 'osto na…garo estel…" _The soft words of comfort reached my ear as I stood there holding on to this elf like my life depended upon it. They were not in any language I comprehended, but the effect was all the same. Slowly but surly my grip loosened and the sobbing came to a halt.

"What did it mean?" I asked between hiccups of my retreating sobs.

"It doesn't matter." Haldir stated gently, wiping away some of the remaining tears that slowly made their way down my cheeks. I blushed a little at his actions.

"I-I guess your right," I managed a brave smile, "and…um…thank you." The ground in front of me suddenly got very fascinating.

"Well then, I might be an arrogant, stuck up, egoistical elf in your eyes…" I didn't dare to meet his gaze as he spoke. "…but I like to believe there's more to me than that." I totally missed his sly grin because I was too caught up counting the pebbles spread around in the dirt beneath our feet.

'_Twenty-one, twenty-two…I should probably apologize. Twenty-three, twenty-four…Oh, how he must hate me! Twenty-five…'_

'_**Could you blame him?'**_

'_Shut up! I'm trying to occupy myself here.'_

'_**What part of you actually believes he hasn't noticed you're not paying attention?'**_

'_Thirty, thirty-one, thirty-two…I'm trying to appear inconspicuous here, and having an inner quarrel with myself isn't helping. He must believe me too be daft as well.' _

'_**No arguments there.' **_

That's when I saw Haldir went to leave. Without a second thought I grabbed a hold of his sleeve, and immediately regretted it. He had on a look that obviously said 'haven't I done enough already?'

"I just wanted to apologize for my behaviour earlier. That was really out of line and I shouldn't have said those things to you. I don't know what got into me. Please forgive me?" I was pleading, almost begging, for him to accept my apology. Even though he had bestowed kindness upon me, despite my disrespecting behaviour, I didn't want there to be any bad blood between us.

"Apology accepted, Milady. I'll just put it on my mental note, right under the cone 'accident'." He nodded courteously and started to walk away. I was left standing under the heavy braches of the weeping birch tree, stunned speechless, watching his retreating back. _'He keeps a mental note of the cone incident?' _This was starting to get interesting.

I remained under the roof of colourful leaves a few more moments before I started to make my own way back to the awaiting crowd. The closer I got the heavier my legs seemed to become. I had been dreading this moment for quite some time now and it was not getting any easier. I breathed a heavy sigh and forced my legs to carry me all the way to the line of dead bodies on the ground. It was time to let go…

When the last body had been put in the ground, and the sun had set and the sky had grown dark, the air around us was heavily laden with unspoken emotions. No one had managed to utter a single word as of yet, and my own prayers had been said in silence. In my desperation I had even prayed to Eru to grant my father new life, just like in the stories he had told me since childhood.

I let my eyes wander over to the group of elves, and the feeling of bitterness over their immortality flooded me, but I quickly pushed it away. I realized that being bitter over something like that was just plain silly. They might have been granted the gift of long life, but they could still die as everyone else, even if it wasn't of old age.

My eyes scanned the elves once more, landing on cool grey ones. Haldir stared back at me but I quickly withdrew my gaze as someone started to speak. Everyone seemed to have something they wanted to say, everyone but me, as one after the other spoke about their loved ones that was no longer with us. I had already said my piece in silence, and there was no way I was going to voice it in public, so when it was over I walked away.

Since the camp was already packed up, it didn't take long until everyone was ready to leave. The elves were helping out and making sure everything was ready, before they made us form a huge line. I had gathered my few belongings and was standing beside Morion when Haldir showed up.

"You are coming with me." He stated simply, gesturing for me to follow him.

"Huh? What? Why?" _'What in Eru's name is he talking about?' _I was looking at him, confusion shining in my eyes.

"I promised to take care of you, Melian, and I shall. So move along." He didn't even look at me as he continued to walk away.

"But…" I tried, but was instantly cut off. _'Is he saying that I have to leave my people behind? Where is he taking me?'_

"No 'buts'." Haldir replied concluding. I obviously had no say in the matter.

"You are coming with me to Lothlorien, and I have no intention to argue about it…" Haldir turned around, looking annoyed that I hadn't moved from my spot in the line yet.

"…Even if I have to drag you all the way." He added with a look that left no room for arguments. I sighed heavily and mounted my horse. _'Great…now I'm stuck with him.'_

I didn't even get to say more than a hasty "Goodbye" to the people I had spent the majority of my life with. Some had sent me quizzical looks that I just had to shrug at, not getting the opportunity to explain myself further. I was still glaring at the back of Haldir's head as we made our way over a field we had crossed earlier in the day, cursing him under my breath as we went along.

"I can hear you, you know." Haldir stated all of a sudden, and I could swear he sounded amused.

"I know and I don't care." I replied rather snappishly.

This was going to be a long trip indeed, and I could practically sense an argument in the air already. Haldir cleared his throat.


End file.
